Tyrone laundering plants dismantled in multi-agency raids

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), accompanied by officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), carried out searches this morning at nine commercial and domestic premises in Co Tyrone, where they uncovered two mobile laundering plants with a third under construction.

During the searches in Coalisland, Sixmilecross, Carrickmore, Pomeroy and Dungannon HMRC seized over 70,000 litres of fuel, five vehicles, eight tonnes of a bleaching agent - a product used to remove the dyes and markers from diesel - tanks and pumping equipment.

John Whiting, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigation, for HMRC in Northern Ireland said: "These mobile laundering plants are a crude attempt to avoid detection but they are very dangerous.

"Transporting fuel in this way poses a risk to anyone in the vicinity with illegal profit the sole motivation.

"The fact that unsecured tanks full of flammable fuel are being driven around on our roads shows utter contempt for the safety of other people.

"HMRC takes the dangerous and illegal practice of laundering fuel very seriously.

"People need to be aware of the environmental and safety issues surrounding the laundering of fuel, which is often done in rural locations.

"Indiscriminate dumping of the by-products from the laundering process can cause severe damage to arable land and our water systems, as well as taxpayers and local ratepayers having to pay for the clean up and disposal costs.

"We are working together in partnership with our colleagues in the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF), including the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to stop the damage to our local businesses and environment.

"The activity uncovered today shows a total disregard for the economic and environmental well being of our communities."

Michael Hatch, from the NIEA Environmental Crime Unit (ECU), warned: "Almost 20 tonnes of toxic waste were removed during this operation.

"This by-product is highly-polluting and grossly harmful. It contaminates land but is particularly toxic when it enters rivers or lakes as it can travel far and cause contact damage to the skin. It may also enter the food chain."

The large quantity of fuel-contaminated waste has been analysed by a team of officers from the ECU who have been gathering evidence at the scene and have launched an investigation into serious illegal waste offences.

Four men from Co Tyrone were arrested and are currently being questioned by HMRC officers. Investigations are continuing.

In an unconnected operation a large laundering plant was dismantled in the Randalstown area of Co Antrim with 1.5 tonnes of toxic waste and equipment removed from the site.

This plant had the capacity to produce around three million litres of illicit fuel with an estimated revenue loss of 1.5 million a year.